Let’s face it. Today’s consumers are navigating economic uncertainty, AI-fuelled misinformation and rising online scepticism. The Advertising Association’s Think Tank, Credos, revealed that “people now move through online spaces in a state of low-level vigilance”. This means that trust – if you can get it – is the most valuable currency a brand can hold. It’s no longer just a reputational “nice‑to‑have”, but a commercial imperative.
The good news is that despite the public’s increasingly complex relationship with advertising, trust in ads is at its highest level in five years. As people become more discerning about which brands they allow into their lives, trust acts as a brand differentiator, and the ones that thrive will be those that not only show what they stand for, but why they deserve to be believed.
Trust sits at the heart of advertising effectiveness and is the key to creating lasting relationships between brands and people. These relationships then in turn deliver stronger business growth, evidenced by the latest IPA analysis. In fact, according to Thinkbox’s ‘Trust matters – and TV earns it’ study, trust is now the second biggest driver of brand profitability, surpassed only by perceived quality. These days, it’s no longer a reputational bonus, but a commercial necessity.
And the industry is taking note. These insights and more are explored in the book ‘Trusted Advertising: How to Harness the Value of Trust in Your Brand’, by James Best and the Advertising Association’s Matt Bourn, and will be the topic of discussion at our upcoming roundtable for CMOs and Marketing leaders. In 2023, we explored what affects trust and distrust, how clearance and regulation play a key role in strengthening trust and shared some tips on how to keep ads truthful. We also noted that trust seemed to be a growing priority for the industry and clearly, in the three years since, this momentum has only increased.
So, we’ve established its importance. But just how do you build trust via an ad in the first place? To answer, we’ve highlighted three brilliant ads that did exactly this, along with the lessons behind their successes – plus some added insights from our Managing Director.
1. John Lewis – “The Window” (2024)
Saatchi & Saatchi
The campaign:
The ad, launched in September 2024, used the brand’s historical archive to take us on a journey through time. As people gaze into John Lewis shop windows, we get glimpses into the roaring 20s, swinging 60s and lycra-spangled 80s.
Crucially, at the heart, was the relaunch of their “Never Knowingly Undersold” pledge, in which they promised to price-match 25 of their key competitors.
How it improved trust:
John Lewis explicitly re‑anchored its commitment to value, quality and fairness – long‑standing pillars of trust. And the clever use of historical footage showed it wasn’t a performative tactic, but a genuine continuation of who they’ve always been, reminding viewers that both their historic and modern values, align with their own. As Charlotte Lock, Customer Director, put it “The enduring values John Lewis represent are as important today as they were a century ago”.
The result:
Since the ad’s release, both ‘value perception’ and ‘buzz’ improved (YouGov), along with the company’s bottom line (John Lewis Partnership).
- Value for money perception – Increased by 4 points (Jan 2023 – Sep 2024). (YouGov)
- Positive buzz – Increased by 12 (Apr 2023 – Sep 2024). (YouGov)
- Organic website visits – Increased by more than 50,000 per day. (John Lewis Partnership)
- Sales – Significantly increased. (John Lewis Partnership)
2. Virgin Atlantic – “See the World Differently” (2022)
Lucky Generals
The campaign:
Virgin Atlantic’s ‘ad of the year’ in 2022 invited viewers to “See the World Differently” by following their diverse cast of crew and passengers, from the airport to the aircraft. Set to the iconic song “I Am What I Am,” the ad champions this message with expressions of individuality – from makeup and piercings to quirky personalities.
How it improved trust:
Representation matters, and Virgin Atlantic’s inclusive casting and celebration of individuality signals to potential customers that they can truly be themselves onboard. This fosters deep emotional connections and, in turn, strengthens long‑term brand loyalty. As Annabelle Cordelli, Senior Vice President of Brand & Marketing, puts it “People have always been at the heart of Virgin Atlantic and important to the success of the brand”.
By expressing values that align with modern expectations, the campaign feels authentic and contemporary. Annabelle continues “These moments are filled with warmth, authenticity and humanity. They also hopefully show how a brand can be purposeful in a way that is playful and premium too”.
The result:
The ad landed in the top 10% of Ipsos’ UK creative database in 2022 and scored strongly on all three effectiveness KPIs.
- Memory encoding – Strong Brand attention index score. (Ipsos)
- Short term sales lift potential – Strong creative effect index score. (Ipsos)
- Long term market share growth potential – Strong equity effect index score. (Ipsos)
3. Dove – “The Code” (2024)
SOKO
The campaign:
“The Code” examines how AI is distorting our view of what’s beautiful, to mark 20 years of their “Real Beauty” campaign. The ad, set to the classic song “Pure Imagination”, shows AI images of women, generated from simple prompts such as “confident” or “beautiful”. The results, dishearteningly, show a very narrow display of beauty standards.
The exercise is then repeated, this time adding Dove’s “real beauty” into the prompt, which produces far more diverse, authentic representations of women. The ad finishes with a vow from Dove to never use AI-altered or generated women in their ads.
How it improved trust:
Dove is known for highlighting diversity in their advertising, showing that all types of people can be beautiful. “The Code” reminds consumers of this core belief, and, with growing anxiety around the use of AI today, reinforces their commitment to authenticity – a core trust driver that consumers consistently reward.
Plus, their pledge to never use AI-generated women in their ads shows that they practice what they preach – meaning viewers can ultimately trust their word.
When Ipsos evaluated the ad, they found that it evoked “a strong emotional response from viewers” and that it was deemed to be “very surprising, relevant and credible”.
The result:
The ad scored ‘strong’ or exceptional’ on all three metrics in System 1’s Test Your Ad, and it performed well in views and brand growth, as revealed by Ipsos (giving it a place in their misfits hall of fame).
- Views – Amassed more than 1.5M views on YouTube in its first two months. (Ipsos)
- Brand growth – Strong memorability and virality of will allow it to get noticed and talked about, ultimately bringing consumers closer to the brand. (Ipsos)
- Predicated long-term market share growth – ‘Strong’ star rating of 4.6, which was not only Dove’s highest ever scoring ad, but the top ad in the entire toiletries category. (System 1)
- Short-term sales potential – ‘Exceptional’ spike rating, derived from strength of branding and intensity of emotional response. (System 1)
- Brand recognition – ‘Exceptional’ fluency rating. (System 1)
Insights from Sam Smith, Managing Director, Clearcast
How important is trust in 2026?
Trust – it’s definitely the industry buzzword at the moment. It dominated LEAD 2026 (the advertising industry’s summit) and the recently published ‘Trusted Advertising’ book was a timely reminder of its importance.
Having said that, ‘buzzword’ makes it sound like it’s a fad, which it’s most certainly not. It’s always been important – you simply wouldn’t buy a product from a company you didn’t trust.
With everything that’s going on in the world right now, trust feels like it’s in short supply. And products that are in short supply… are valuable.
What would be your top tip to fostering trust?
Other than the great points raised here, don’t forget about creating engaging content. If I’m entertained, I’m much more likely to trust you. In fact, this year’s Credos research showed that enjoyment of ads remained the number one driver of trust.
What is Clearcast doing to build trust in advertising?
TV consistently comes out as the most trusted form of advertising, along with the other mediums which are pre-cleared. At Clearcast it’s what we’re all about, and what we’ve spent decades doing for TV and VoD. And today, as Clearcast is evolving – we want to spread that trust across advertising as far and wide as we can.
Key takeaways
There are some common threads throughout these examples which show what we can learn about building trust.
1. Value match – Express values which align with modern audiences, such as
- Inclusivity
- Fairness
- Transparency
2. Authenticity – Convey how these values are genuinely authentic to your brand, and not just lip service
3. Meaningful action – Make a promise or pledge, and follow it up with real action
Trust is the foundation on which every effective brand relationship is built, influencing not only sentiment, but long‑term loyalty and advocacy. And, in a climate where audiences are overloaded, sceptical and fragmented, the brands that understand that credibility is a strategic asset, will be the ones that win.
Chat to us about how to safeguard trust for your brand